Who is watching YouTube?
YouTube covers 82% of the Russian population from 18 to 44 (Mediascope, Web Index, March 2018, Russia 100+, All 12−64) and such statistics works both for cities and small towns. For example, in Moscow it is 80%, while in towns counting 100 to 400 thousand people it reaches 78%.
Most of the YouTube users are from 25 to 34 and from 35 to 44 years of age, with women taking the lead in all segments, except for the 18-to-24 age group.
In terms of revenues, YouTube’s audience shows rather decent results — 42% of users have above-average income and 40% — average income. At the same time, just over 30% of users are specialists, while office workers and students make up 15% each.
If we compare YouTube audience with other social media, we’ll get an interesting picture:
It means that YouTube has a large portion of users from other social media and also a significant share of the unique audience.
In terms of coverage, video hosting can compete with both online platforms and traditional media. For example, according to Mediascope’s statistics, the YouTube monthly audience is higher compared to most Russian TV channels (for the category from 18 to 44 years of age).
The number of views on YouTube is increasing each year. In 2017, for example, it grew by 45%. At the same time, videos are watched on a variety of devices: by the end of 2017, 61% of views came from mobile devices, while 5% — from TVs.
What content do people watch on YouTube?
From ukulele lessons to smartphones and smart watches reviews, Youtube features videos on a huge amount of topics. Based on the research made by GfK, CINT, and SSI, 30% of users come to YouTube for content they can’t find elsewhere. By this metric, YouTube outruns Facebook, Vkontakte, Odnoklassniki, Ivi.ru, and Channel One.
Music
During the research, 10% of respondents preferred music as their favorite category, because YouTube features all kinds of music content like video clips, concerts, selections of videos from past decades, interviews with popular singers, etc. 13% of respondents have watched videos from this category recently. YouTube counts many popular music channels like Uspeshnaya gruppa (Successful band), versusbattleru, and Gazgolder.
Education and science
The platform also has courses for memory and attention development, cultural science or financial markets. The research showed that 87% of users are always or often able to find videos on the topic they are interested in. Such educational videos are also published on popular channels like TOPLES, Center Arkhe or Kosmos Prosto.
Games
The most popular bloggers in Russia and globally are let’s players like Mr. Marmok and TheBrainDit, who record, publish, and comment on the gaming process. This type of content is very popular – 74% of gamers watch videos on YouTube to improve their gaming skills. Computer games though is not the only topic. YouTube features many other videos like Lego kits or even dominoes. Another rapidly growing segment is cybersports.
Cooking
Cooking is one of those categories, where visual information is very helpful as it is far better to follow blogger’s actions than struggling with text recipes. Channels related to healthy food, videos on various flavors and master classes from recognized chefs – all this can be found on YouTube. Based on our data, Cooking and recipes is one of the most popular categories for Russian women aged 45+. And if you want to treat yourself with something extraordinary for the dinner, channels like oblomoff or Pokashevarim will certainly help you out.
When influencers create interesting and regular content, users follow their channels to watch all the videos. Based on the research, 46% of YouTube users follow their favorite channels, with this format being the most popular for the audience from 16 to 24 year of age – they have a share of 81% among all subscribed users.
What is the role of YouTube?
To find out the role of YouTube in people’s lives, Google carried out a survey together with Flamingo agency. They asked Internet users in 18 countries, including Russia, and held comprehensive interviews with representatives from various spheres like culture, media, branding, and technology. Additionally, this survey included focus groups as well as online diaries of YouTube users and creators from four countries. This allowed distinguishing four main educational and social functions of YouTube.
Development and self-expression
According to 84% of Russian users, YouTube discovers talents and it’s a great place to express yourself. In addition, YouTube allows users to find people with similar interests. The survey showed that 58% of respondents were able to meet like-minded people on the video service, and 65% found influencers they admire and follow.
Cultural contribution
According to the survey, YouTube received the highest rates among media channels in the majority of culture-related questions — 6 out of 8. So, YouTube has become the most efficient platform for spreading new topics and influencing culture.
Learning
YouTube is not just an entertainment platform anymore. Thanks to the content, people gain new knowledge, develop professionally and personally. Russian users go to YouTube to better study their interesting questions — this was confirmed by 74% of respondents. At the same time, 70% of respondents from Russia admitted that YouTube helped them to learn new professional skills and how to organize their lives.
News from around the world
Now that YouTube counts millions of channels from around the world, users can easily learn about what is happening in other countries, see different points of view and thus form their own worldview and vision. For example, in Russia, 78% of respondents believe that YouTube reflects the diversity of society. And 76% admitted they were finding ideas on YouTube that they would never know about.
The videos on YouTube are watched by all kinds of people. Thanks to the platform, users can watch it not only for entertainment, but also to learn something new, stay up to date with global events and meet like-minded people. At the same time, content on YouTube encourages people to take action − for example, 38% of users look for detailed information online about products after watching video ads, 28% − go to the brand’s website, and 16% − make a purchase. Thus, YouTube has become a global platform, where everyone − authors, users or brands − can solve their problems.
Source: Sostav.ru